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Mtera power plant ’could close any time’
2006-03-06 12:07:24
By Gerald Kitabu, Iringa
The Mtera hydroelectric power plant could close down any time from this Friday because the water level has dropped further from 698.50 metres to 687.48 metres.
The obvious outcome of such an eventuality would be an economic crunch of immense proportions as the country would be left with only the Songas gas-to-electricity power plant, which has also scaled down its output after a transformer broke down two weeks ago.
The country’s demand for power during peak hours averages 600 megawatts, a significant fraction of which comes from the Mtera power plant.
Complete closure of Mtera Dam would also lead to subsequent closure of Kidatu Dam, which draws its water from the latter.
However, the severe drought the country is experiencing, coupled with intensive human activities in the Great Ruaha catchment area, have resulted in significant shrinkage of the Great Ruaha tributaries’ regimes that feed the dam.
Because of this, the country has been forced to reduce consumption through long hours of power rationing and frequent outages that have affected production in all sectors of the economy.
With key economic sub-sectors such as tea, cotton, coffee and manufacturing forecasting a drop in their earnings due to power rationing and severe drought, the closure of the Mtera plant and its satellites dams could bring the economy to its knees never seen before in the past 10 years during which the economy recorded a bullish surge.
Speaking to members of the Journalists’ Environmental Association of Tanzania (Jet) on Friday, Mtera power plant manager, Engineer Nazir Kachwamba, said the minimum supply level for Mtera turbines was 690.00 metres.
Any amount below this level is ’dead storage’, which can only be used to generate power during emergencies at
both Mtera and Kidatu plants, Eng Kachwamba said.
’We might be forced to close down in three weeks if we don’t get sufficient rainfall. Continued use of the water when it is below 687.00 metres, would have adverse effects on the ecosystem around the reservoir and could cause physical damage to the plant’s infrastructure,’ he said.
Eng Kachwamba said that at least two centimetres of water were used everyday and there was no significant increase of water to stabilise or increase water volume in the dam.
’For the past four days, however, we have witnessed an increase of two centimetres of water in the dam, but this is insignificant considering that two centimetres of water is used daily,’ he said.
He cited drought and mismanagement of water upstream as the main causes of water shortage in the reservoir.
’Water management and environmental conservation of the Ruaha Basin needs collective and co-ordinated efforts of stakeholders. No single sector can provide a solution to the water crisis we are facing now,’ he noted.
The main water sources for the Mtera reservoir are the Great Ruaha and Kisigo rivers, both of which have been reduced to small streams.
The Great Ruaha River, which is the main source, originates in the Kipengere Mountain Range, southwest of the Rufiji Basin.
In recent months, efforts have been made to raise awareness on conservation of the environment among communities in the mountains.
Smallholder farmers have also been trained in irrigation methods for efficient utilisation of Usangu basin waters.
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